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Tech Tuesday: gadgets for the smart home

A home is not just somewhere you eat and sleep – it's your base for all life.

Tech and appliances that make life easier and more comfortable are a must for everybody. We can now control almost everything with the touch of a button, or by sinmply asking a helpful bot, like Siri, Alexa or Google. Explore some of our favourites home tech devices and find out how they can help you live smarter.

Apple HomePod

HomePod is a powerful speaker that sounds amazing and adapts to where it’s playing. It’s the ultimate music authority, bringing together Apple Music and Siri to learn your taste in music. It’s also an intelligent home assistant, capable of handling everyday tasks and controlling your smart home. HomePod takes the listening experience to new heights.

Phillips Hue Wireless Ambiance Starter Kit

The Philips Hue light bulbs are tech that's truly personal. You can customise your whole house with thousands of colour and lighting effects that will add interest, or create a bespoke mood. They work seamlessly through the Apple HomeKit app or the Philips Hue app, which can be downloaded from Android and Apple stores.

The bulbs have a handy scheduling feature, so you don't even need to be at home for them to work. Setting a timer that can switch lights off at a certain time would be handy for those of us that tend to doze off without meaning to!

The starter kit includes three Hue light bulbs, one Hue Bridge, power adapter for bridge and a LAN cable to connect the Hue bridge to your router.

Schlage Sense Smart Deadbolt

Schlage Sense Smart Deadbolt is a smart lock that will definitely make life easier. The lock works using a regular key, a pin on the keypad, or by asking Siri, who will gladly open your front door upon request.

The automation feature allows your devices to know when you leave home and when you arrive, preparing your home just the way you like it.

The Schlage lock comes with a handy app that can be downloaded from most app stores. From there, you can control the lock by changing access codes, creating scheduling and implementing auto lock settings.

Amazon Echo

Amazon Echo is a hands-free speaker you control with your voice. Echo connects to the Alexa Voice Service to play music, ask questions, make calls, send and receive messages, provide information, news, sports scores, weather, and more—instantly. All you have to do is ask.